Qazi: a man of valour and courage

ISLAMABAD: It was April 3, 1991 when Moscow started losing its grip over Afghanistan and the Russian and Afghan forces had formally surrendered in the strategically important Khost province.

Following the surrender, a delegation of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) led by the then Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmed visited Khost on the invitation of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) chief Gulbadin Hekmatyar.

It was after a long time that Islamabad-based journalists got an opportunity to land in Afghanistan when the Soviet Union was locked in a pitched battle with the Afghan Mujahideen.

It was a memorable journey indeed in the company of Qazi Hussain Ahmed during which the JI delegation and journalists stayed at some caves before reaching the Khost province.

These caves served as the headquarters of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan from where Muhajideen would attack the Russian occupation forces across Afghanistan. The HIA fighters had shot down a Russian helicopter a day before the arrival of the delegation.

No sooner had the news of the arrival of the delegation fanned across Khost than Soviet gunship helicopters surfaced in the skies prompting the Mujahideen to hide the visitors in trenches dug near the Khost River.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed however stood outside and opened a blaze of fire towards the capital Kabul with a Kalashnikov. The gunship helicopters shelled the road leading to Khost. The road was strewn with dozens of bodies including those of Russian and Afghan troops. Impressed by Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s valour and courage, Hekmatyar gifted a pistol to him.

Later, Qazi said the Almighty had saved him for a special purpose which was the unity of all Muslims and their dominance across the globe.Qazi laid the foundations of his party on the principles of unity among Muslims and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan solidified his stance. He had played a key role in the formation of a seven-party alliance to accommodate the Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Qazi had said he did not differentiate between the Jamaat-e-Islami and Hizb-e-Islami. His role in the formation of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal was also commendable.Though he could not achieve all his objectives during his 21-year leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, he succeeded in opening the doors of his party to all and sundry, paving the way for a revolution.

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